This invention relates to voting machines and more particularly to an electronic voting machine.
Mechanical voting machines have been available and in extensive use for some time. Examples of such machines are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,054,102 and 3,054,557 to R. F. Shoup. These machines have been successfully used to record and totalize all of the votes made by voters on that machine. Such machines are capable of preventing the casting of illegal votes.
The disadvantages of such a machine include being large and cumbersome. Also, they contain many movable parts and much servicing is required. A machine should be capable of being set up for an electron in less time than that required for the present mechanical voting machines.
Another problem which has beset users of mechanical voting machines is the proliferation of candidates in recent years. Sometimes there may be as many as thirty or more candidates for an office. It is quite difficult to set up mechanical voting machines to accommodate all of these candidates.
Providing for a voter's personal choice candidates has always been a problem. Traditionally, voters have been able to "write-in" the candidate of their choice even though that candidate's name does not appear on the ballot. An error free system for recording and tabulating such votes is needed.
Security from voter fraud has been one of the principal advantages of mechanical voting machines. The recent use of computerized data processing techniques has not always been accompanied by the security which is required in the voting process.